Sylas had only spoken halfway when he suddenly froze.
Because at the doorway, there was a huge bird stuck right in the teleportation array. Layers of magical ripples kept spreading out around it.
'Uh… No wonder the kid said there was no way he couldn't get out.'
'Turns out he really jammed that old guy's backside. The bird is stuck there, neither going in nor out. This move is really ruthless!'
'But honestly, it feel pretty satisfying.'
"Hahahaha!"
Sylas burst out laughing, "Well, well, old man, didn't expect you to end up like this!"
"Sylas?"
At that moment, everyone had reached the doorway.
The Stone Man had clearly heard Sylas's voice and was shocked, "How did you get out! Weren't you sealed inside the magic lamp? How did you escape?"
"Hahahaha!", Sylas laughed loudly, "I'm about to be free. Unlike you, you still have to guard this gate for the rest of your life!"
"You… this…"
The Stone Man roared in anger, "That's impossible!"
"I calculated it clearly. We were supposed to stay together for life. Wherever I am, you should be too!"
"How could you leave before me? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"What's impossible about it?", Sylas said smugly, "I'm walking out right now. Watch me! In this lifetime, I finally beat you once. You think you're amazing just because you can tell fortunes?"
"I am amazing! If I hadn't predicted the disaster in advance, do you think you could've hidden here and survived for over a hundred years?", the Stone Man shouted back, "You would've been long dead! And you dare look down on me!"
"I look down on you. So what!"
The two old men, both over a hundred years old, started arguing like little kids the moment they met.
Meanwhile, the White Eagle chirped happily when it saw Ethan arrive.
Ethan looked at the five spirit stones still placed in front of it.
Not one was missing.
He felt a bit touched and rubbed the White Eagle's head, "You silly thing. Go ahead and eat. No need to count anymore. All five are yours."
"Coo?"
(≧∇≦)
The White Eagle's eyes lit up. It was so happy it almost took off.
But Ethan quickly pressed it back down. If it flew, the teleportation array might close.
Then… just as Ethan was about to step through the teleportation gate, he suddenly remembered what the Scarecrow had said.
Back when they were betting, it claimed it could subdue the Stone Man. Since there was still time, Ethan quickly asked, "Brother Scarecrow, you said you'd help me take in the Stone Man. You better keep your word."
["No problem. But you promised to chat with Attendant Lady for an hour for me. Don't you dare back out."]
"I won't back out," Ethan smiled, "I'm just afraid you'll be heartbroken."
["How could chatting with Attendant Lady be heartbreaking? That's a great thing!"], The Scarecrow, having gotten his promise, happily hopped toward the teleportation array, ["Stop talking nonsense!"]
"Where are you going?"
["I'm going to help you take in the Stone Man."]
"Huh?"
Ethan was stunned.
He had thought the Scarecrow was just bluffing. Who knew it could actually do it?
However…
Not long after, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Sylas shouted, "Get out! The teleportation array is about to disappear!"
"Huh?"
Ethan was confused.
But he didn't dare hesitate. He immediately jumped through the teleportation array, with Daji right behind him.
At the last moment, he also reached out and dragged the silly White Eagle, who was happily gnawing on spirit stones, out with him.
And the instant they all leapt out of the Land of Treasure, the entire Land of Treasure collapsed with a loud crash. Countless chunks of stone fell along with the snow, rumbling down.
Ethan quickly stepped aside, "What's going on?"
"Old buddy?"
Sylas stood in front of the ruins, staring in shock, "Where did that big idiot go? He was just fine a moment ago. How did he suddenly disappear?"
"You big man, crying like that. Aren't you ashamed? You're embarrassing us Grand Magi!"
Just then, a rough voice came from the ruins.
Soon, a plump Scarecrow hopped out, with a palm-sized stone statue perched on its head.
Only then did everyone realize that the rough voice had come from the tiny stone statue on top of the Scarecrow's head.
And that statue looked exactly like a mini version of the Stone Man.
"How… how did you do that?"
Ethan was completely stunned.
Sylas looked at his old friend and burst out laughing, "Hahaha! Big idiot, how did you shrink? You were dumb enough before. Now that you're this small, aren't you even dumber?"
"You're the dumb one! Your whole family is dumb!", the Stone Man roared, "I knew my calculation wasn't wrong. We were still meant to be together!"
"Just not guarding the Land of Treasure anymore. Now we've both been taken away by this brat!"
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
The Stone Man's angry roar made Sylas freeze.
'Yeah… What exactly was I so proud of just now?'
'When have I ever been tricked into becoming someone's servant and still felt pleased about it?'
'What the hell is going on?'
"The snow is so heavy."
Ethan, though confused about how the Scarecrow managed it, stepped outside and finally saw what was happening.
The Extreme Cold Night had arrived early.
It had been less than half an hour since someone mentioned snowing in the magic book.
Yet the entire land outside had already turned completely white.
Not only that... he reached out and caught a snowflake.
The snowflakes were really as large as the players described, about the size of a palm.
Of course, not because a single snowflake was that big, but because countless small flakes had clumped together into huge clusters, falling densely from the sky.
In less than half an hour, the snow had already reached his ankles.
Ethan had no doubt, if this snowfall continued, by tomorrow morning it might bury even ordinary stone houses.
At this rate, in another hour, the road home would be completely buried.
"Queen Bee! Immediately send your subjects to the areas where the residents are and tell them to return to the villa at once," Ethan ordered, "No matter what they're doing, they must go back immediately! Also, can you inform them about the Ice Gall in the snow?"
["Master, that may be difficult,"] The Queen Bee hid inside the hive, sounding discouraged, ["My subjects are fire-type. They may not be able to fly long distances in such freezing conditions. And it's hard for them to convey so much information…"]
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